Jacob Ferguson faces Coffs Harbour court after crashing stolen ute during police pursuit

An unlicensed Coffs Harbour man stole a car and crashed during a police pursuit, shattering his leg, following a three day ice and cocaine bender.

Jacob Ferguson, 22, was unlicensed when he crashed a stolen ute during a police pursuit.

An unlicensed Coffs Harbour man stole a car and crashed in dramatic circumstances during a police pursuit, shattering his leg, following a three day ice and cocaine bender.

Jacob Ferguson faced Coffs Harbour Local Court over videolink on Wednesday.

The 22-year-old man pleaded guilty to a string of charges: Drive recklessly/furiously or speed/manner dangerous, carry cutting weapon upon apprehension, never licensed person drive vehicle on road, take and drive conveyance without consent of owner.

Ferguson stole the car from a Scotts Head address before taking off up the highway toward Urunga at speed.

Ferguson nabbed the car from a Scotts Head address before taking off up the highway toward Urunga at a considerable speed on November 8, police facts state.

The owner of the vehicle reported the crime and police began to pursue Ferguson.

He managed to evade officers and lost them on the highway, but his escape was short-lived.

Ferguson lost control of the stolen ute and crashed the car into a pole and several trees at the intersection of Giinagay Way and South St.

Ferguson later said he was “lucky to be alive” after suffering a cut to his head and a shattered tibia, or shin bone.

He was found with a 12cm long knife, 0.6 grams of methamphetamines and 0.67g of cannabis after the crash, which facts state came after three days of using ice and cocaine.

The stolen car worth $11,000 was not insured and was totalled in the crash.

Defence lawyer Jason Hatch acknowledged the offending was aggravated because Ferguson was on bail and serving a community order for other serious matters.

He said Ferguson’s manner of driving could have been fatal and community safety was of paramount importance.

Police began the pursuit after receiving a call from the car owner that their car had been taken.

“The speeds he was driving at posed a great risk,” Mr Hatch said.

But he told the court Ferguson lost sensation in half of one leg after it was shattered, which served as a “reminder” of his poor decisions.

Ferguson lost his mother to cancer and used ice and heroin to deal with grief, the court heard.

“He was offence free most of his life and then developed a significant drug addition,” Mr Hatch said.

He said Ferguson needed to be in the community to address his addiction to drugs.

“Supervision would help deal with his troubling addiction, which seemingly only gets worse if access isn’t given,” Mr Hatch said.

Ferguson wanted to rejoin the community after jail time gave him “clarity”, the court heard.

The intersection of Giinagay Way and South St, where Ferguson crashed into a pole and trees.

Magistrate Theresa Hamilton took aim at Ferguson for being unlicensed, on drugs and speeding in a stolen car while already serving a sentence.

She said his offending was particularly serious, but added Ferguson was “still a young man” and would be given “an opportunity to stay out of jail”.

Ferguson looked emotional when he was sentenced to a twelve month intensive corrections order as an alternative to jail.